Chapter 239 Echoes Of The Past
Julius’s eyshes flickered, and he lowered his eyes to hide the hint of guilt that shed through them.
Quinn continued, “I went to the base today and retrieved the drone my brother used before the ident. I watched the video files saved on the SD card and heard his voice–that’s why I cried.”
Julius‘ arms tightened around her. “Did you find any useful clues?”
A flicker of disappointment shed in her eyes. “It confirmed that Rowan’s disappearance is linked to the border wildfire. The military now leans toward believing he was killed in action.”
“Your brother isn’t dead!” Julius burst out.
She stared at him, startled.
He seemed suddenly aware of how abrupt he sounded. “I believe in him. He’s your brother. A man like that wouldn’t die so easily. He must still be alive.”
As <i>long </i><i>as </i><i>Rowan </i><i>is </i><i>alive</i><i>, </i><i>there’s </i>still <i>room </i><i>for </i><i>Quinn </i><i>and </i><i>me </i><i>to </i>turn things <i>around</i><i>. </i>
“Yes,” she agreed softly, “Rowan must still be alive.”
Julius pursed his lips and said, “I had people investigate Sidonie Stonehurst and First Officer Howard Lamont. We uncovered something interesting.”
He picked up a folder from the coffee table and handed it to her.
“Five years ago,” he exined, “Sidonie smoked. Not heavily, but at parties or when she was under pressure, she’d light one up. Yet after that border wildfire five years ago, she quitpletely–no one has seen her touch a cigarette since. Back then, her mission was to fly to the border with Howard and bring stranded civilians home. The pressure was enormous; the border was in chaos, and the assignment was dangerous.”
“When the ne made itsyover in Stridora, someone actually saw Sidonie smoking,” Julius said softly.
Quinn listened in silence, eyes lowered to the folder she held.
Every new clue seemed to be leading toward the same person–Sidonie.
“I know the Whitethorn family has top–gradeputers and restoration gear,” she said atst. “I’d like to borrow them to restore a video clip.”
“Anything of mine is yours to use,” Julius replied without hesitation.
Quinn’s heart warmed. “Thank you.”
“Quinn, you never have to thank me,” he murmured.
I’m only <i>afraid </i>I still haven’t given <i>you </i><i>enough </i>to make <i>you </i><i>stay </i>beside me.
Han lounged on a barstool, drinking as though he had wandered in for no reason at all.
At the next table, a man had his arm around a woman, both of them working through an impressive number of sses. From time to time, the woman leaned close and whispered, making the man roar withughter.
Had Sidonie been present, she would have recognized the man immediately–Detective Lindgren, the very same man ckmailing her.
“Lindgren, you’re spending big tonight,” the woman cooed, nestling against him. “What’s the happy
asion?”
“Happy?” He pped the table, beaming. “Of course I’m happy. I’m about to strike it rich! If you keep me in a good moodter, your tip won’t be small either.”
“Then I’ll thank you in advance.” She poured him another drink. “But tell me–what’s the good news?”
Alcohol loosened his tongue. “Ha! I’ve struck gold. Someone hired me to investigate a certain matter. Turns out a woman has been pretending to be a savior. I was smart enough not to tell my employer a word. Instead, I went straight to the woman herself. If she wants my mouth shut, she has to pay me―a lot!”
He gloated on, utterly unaware that every word was drifting to Han at the next table.
Once he had heard enough, Han arched a brow, slid from his seat, and walked out.
The woman on Lindgren’sp soon excused herself and followed.
They passed each other in the hallway. Without breaking stride, she murmured, “Mr. Ingram, I’ve done what you asked.”
“Appreciate it,” he answered coolly. “You’ll get what I promised.”
The woman smiled, satisfied, and disappeared through another door.
When Laura received Han’s report, she frowned. “So this Lindgren character threatened Sidonie. The ‘fake savior‘ must be her.”
“What exactly happened?” Han asked.
“I only learned it that day at the airport with Quinn,” Laura said. “Years ago, Quinn pulled Trent out of the river after he’d been stabbed. Somehow, Trent got it into his head that his rescuer was Sidonie.”